Janus Henderson Group PLC Has $37.18 Million Stock Holdings in MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM)

Janus Henderson Group PLC trimmed its position in shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE:MSM - Free Report) by 21.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 432,057 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 117,188 shares during the quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned approximately 0.77% of MSC Industrial Direct worth $37,183,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its position in MSC Industrial Direct by 8,289.7% during the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 17,031 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,466,000 after buying an additional 16,828 shares during the last quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC increased its holdings in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 36.4% during the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 23,114 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,989,000 after acquiring an additional 6,172 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of MSC Industrial Direct by 85.1% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,733,228 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $216,772,000 after acquiring an additional 1,256,706 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in MSC Industrial Direct in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,101,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in MSC Industrial Direct by 892.9% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 695 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 625 shares during the last quarter. 79.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Erik Gershwind sold 50,000 shares of MSC Industrial Direct stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.36, for a total transaction of $4,518,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,402,849 shares in the company, valued at approximately $126,761,435.64. The trade was a 3.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Philip Peller sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.07, for a total transaction of $80,163.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,044 shares of the company's stock, valued at $360,199.08. This trade represents a 18.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 18.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Stephens lowered shares of MSC Industrial Direct from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $85.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $84.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of MSC Industrial Direct from $87.00 to $73.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, MSC Industrial Direct presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $85.20.

MSC Industrial Direct Stock Performance

NYSE:MSM traded down $0.22 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $83.13. 409,878 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 556,663. The company has a current ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.15 and a beta of 0.89. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $83.62 and a 200 day moving average of $82.65. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $75.05 and a twelve month high of $104.76.

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The industrial products company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08 by ($0.05). MSC Industrial Direct had a net margin of 6.77% and a return on equity of 19.35%. The company had revenue of $952.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $959.74 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.64 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. will post 3.65 EPS for the current year.

MSC Industrial Direct Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. This is a positive change from MSC Industrial Direct's previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. MSC Industrial Direct's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.24%.

About MSC Industrial Direct

MSC Industrial Direct Co, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, distributes metalworking and maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) products and services in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company's MRO products include cutting tools, measuring instruments, tooling components, metalworking products, fasteners, flat stock products, raw materials, abrasives, machinery hand and power tools, safety and janitorial supplies, plumbing supplies, materials handling products, power transmission components, and electrical supplies.